The trend estimate of turnover for the Australian Retail and Hospitality/Services series increased by 0.5% in August 2006. This follows increases of 0.5% in both July and June 2006.

In August 2006, all states had an increase in the trend estimate. The largest increases occurred in the Northern Territory (+1.1%), Queensland, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory (+0.6%).

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ESTIMATES

The seasonally adjusted estimate of turnover for the Australian Retail and Hospitality/Services series increased by 0.3% in August 2006. This follows a revised increase of 0.5% in July 2006 and an increase of 0.9% in June 2006.

All states and territories except Western Australia (-0.9%), Tasmania (-0.2%) and the Northern Territory (-0.5%) had increases in the seasonally adjusted estimate. The largest increase occurred in South Australia (+1.0%).

Department stores declined by 7.2% in August 2006 following an increase of 7.7% in July 2006.

ORIGINAL ESTIMATES

In original terms, Australian turnover increased by 1.1% in August 2006 compared with July 2006. Chains and other large retailers (which are completely enumerated) decreased by 0.3%, while the estimate for 'smaller' retailers (the sampled units) increased by 3.0%.

Australian turnover increased by 6.8% in August 2006 compared with August 2005. Chains and other large retailers increased by 7.5%, while 'smaller' retailers increased by 6.0%.

NOTES

FORTHCOMING ISSUES

ISSUE

Release Date

September 2006

2 November 2006

October 2006

30 November 2006

November 2006

9 January 2007

December 2006

5 February 2007

January 2007

2 March 2007

February 2007

2 April 2007

CHANGES IN THIS ISSUE

There are no changes in this issue.

SAMPLING ERRORS

Standard errors for the Australian estimates (original data) for August 2006 contained in this publication are:

Data Series

Estimate

Standard error

Level of retail turnover ($m)

17 814.2

145.6

Change from preceding month ($m)

196.7

45.7

% change from preceding month (%)

1.1

0.3

For more information see the Explanatory Notes, paragraphs 32-36.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Graham Phillips on Canberra (02) 6252 5625.

INDUSTRY TRENDS

MONTHLY SEASONALLY ADJUSTED AND TREND ESTIMATES

TOTAL RETAIL

There has been moderate trend growth for the last nine months. Food retailing has had moderate growth for 13 months. Other retailing had moderate growth in August 2006 after nine months of strong growth. Department stores (five months), Clothing and soft good retailing (six months) and Household good retailing (two months) have also had moderate growth. Hospitality and services has had weak growth for four months.

FOOD RETAILING

There has been moderate trend growth since August 2005. Queensland (six months) and the Northern Territory (seven months) have had strong growth. New South Wales (six months) and Victoria (two months) have had weak growth. South Australia (ten months) and the Australian Capital Territory (three months) have had moderate growth.

DEPARTMENT STORES

There has been moderate trend growth for five months. Queensland has had strong growth for eight months, while Western Australia had moderate growth in August 2006 after eight months of strong growth. Victoria (seven months) and the Australian Capital Territory (three months) have had moderate growth. New South Wales had weak growth in August 2006 after six months of moderate growth.

CLOTHING AND SOFT GOOD RETAILING

The trend growth has been moderate for six months. New South Wales also had moderate growth for that period, while Queensland (four months), South Australia (eight months), Western Australia (11 months) and the Northern Territory (seven months) have had strong trend growth.

HOUSEHOLD GOOD RETAILING

There has been moderate trend growth in the last two months, after strong growth in the previous two months. Victoria (five months), Queensland (four months), South Australia (six months), the Northern Territory (13 months) and the Australian Capital Territory (six months) have all had strong trend growth. Western Australia had moderate trend growth in August 2006, after seven months of strong growth.

RECREATIONAL GOOD RETAILING

The trend growth was weak in August 2006 after 15 months of being in decline. Victoria has been in decline for 15 months, Queensland for four months and South Australia for five months, while Western Australia had weak trend growth in August after eight months of decline. New South Wales has had three months of moderate growth.

OTHER RETAILING

There was moderate trend growth in August 2006 following nine months of strong growth. New South Wales and Western Australia have had strong trend growth for nine and ten months respectively. Victoria was in decline in August 2006, while South Australia has been in decline for six months.

TOTAL RETAIL (EXCLUDING HOSPITALITY AND SERVICES)

Total retail (excluding Hospitality and services) has had moderate trend growth for nine months. Over this period, the trend growth for Total retail (excluding Hospitality and services) has been similar to Total industries (including Hospitality and services).

HOSPITALITY AND SERVICES

There has been weak trend growth in the last four months. New South Wales has had five months of moderate trend growth, while the Northern Territory had weak trend growth in August 2006. The Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia have had at least eight months of strong trend growth, while the other states have been in decline for at least three months..

STATE TRENDS

MONTHLY SEASONALLY ADJUSTED AND TREND ESTIMATES

NEW SOUTH WALES

There has been moderate trend growth for ten months. Food retailing has had weak trend growth for six months and Department stores had weak growth in August 2006 after six months of moderate growth. Other retailing has had strong trend growth for nine months, while all the other industries, except Household good retailing (which was in decline in August), have had moderate growth for at least three months.

VICTORIA

There was weak trend growth in July and August 2006. Food retailing and Clothing and soft good retailing had weak trend growth in July and August. Household good retailing has had strong growth for five months and Department stores has had moderate growth for six months. The other three industries were in decline in August 2006.

QUEENSLAND

There has been moderate trend growth for at least 15 months. Food retailing (six months), Department stores (eight months), Clothing and soft good retailing (four months) and Household good retailing (four months) have had strong trend growth. Other retailing had weak growth in August 2006.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The trend growth has been moderate for nine months. Food retailing has had moderate trend growth for ten months. Clothing and soft good retailing (eight months) and Household good retailing (six months) have had strong trend growth. Department stores has had weak trend growth for three months.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

The trend growth was moderate for July and August 2006 after strong growth for six months. Clothing and soft good retailing (11 months), Other retailing (ten months) and Hospitality and services (eight months) have had strong trend growth. Department stores and Household good retailing had moderate trend growth in August 2006, after at least seven months of strong growth. The trend for Food retailing has been in decline for the last three months.

TASMANIA

The trend growth has been weak for seven months. Food retailing and Hospitality and services have been in decline for three and seven months respectively. In July and August 2006, Recreational good retailing had strong trend growth, Clothing and soft good retailing had moderate growth and Household good retailing had weak growth.